Apnoeic oxygenation with humidified high-flow nasal oxygen is a recognised anaesthetic technique for patients undergoing endoscopic head and neck surgical procedures This oxygenation technique has been proven to be both safe and effective, whilst allowing unobstructed access to the surgical field The impact of the chosen oxygenation technique on operating theatre productivity has not been measured in this field previously Apnoeic oxygenation with high-flow nasal oxygen was associated with reduced overall time in the operating theatre suite and reduced time in the post-anaesthesia care unit, when compared to procedures performed with a microlaryngoscopy tube Future work will involve grouping patients together by oxygenation technique to maximise improvements in operating theatre productivity and increase patient throughput

A new manifestation of Cutaneous Pili MigransDear Editor: Cutaneous Pili Migrans is a rare skin disease first reported by Yaffee in 1957,it manifests as a creeping rash caused by hair shafts embedded in the superficial layers of the skin[1].To date, over 50 cases have been reported worldwide, and most cases have been reported in Asia[2].This report details a unique case involving a 40-year-old man who presented with Cutaneous Pili Migrans on the scrotum, characterized by a distinctive ring-like pattern.This atypical manifestation is rare, with limited literature addressing similar presentations. A 40-year-old man presented to the dermatology department after discovering a black ring of material beneath the epidermis of his scrotum.He reported no a history of trauma and did not experience any discomfort.There was no similar history reported among his family members. Physical examination revealed an annular, thick black hair shaft clearly visible beneath the epidermis of the scrotum,with slight inflammation at the center of the lesion(Figure 1).Dermoscopic examination showed a black annular hair shaft embedded below the epidermis,with any hair follicles and minimal inflammation in the surrounding skin（Figure 2).Based on the patient’s pertinent medical history and examination findings, we diagnosed the condition as Cutaneous Pili Migrans.Since it was asymptomatic, the patient requested conservative treatment. At the one-month follow-up, the lesion had resolved with no signs of recurrence. Our review of existing literature indicates that most reported cases of Cutaneous Pili Migrans present as a black line . In contrast, our case exhibited a black ring formation—a phenomenon not previously documented. While this is a rare finding, it would not be unusual for any hair bearing area with occlusion to develop this presentation, albeit rarely published. It is also plausible that the curly nature of the hair fibres in the scrotum could be inked with the ring presentation as opposed to curvilinear pattern in terminal hair shafts from the scalp or elsewhere, when exogenous or ingrown hairs that can take a different morphology. Additionally, typical rash locations in other cases include the soles of the feet, neck, legs, and abdomen, with no reports of lesions on the scrotum. This case enhances our understanding of Cutaneous Pili Migrans and may offer new insights for similar clinical presentations. Inflammation is rare in most cases of exogenous causes of Cutaneous Pili migrans and treatment involves removal of the hair shaft. In our case, the patient healed without any treatment.Inflammation is the body’s immune response that serves as a natural defense against damaged cells, pathogens, and harmful stimuli. Most inflammatory responses facilitating self-healing without specific treatment.This explains the spontaneous resolution observed in our case. Differential diagnosis of Cutaneous Pili Migrans is essential and includes Cutaneous Larval Migrans, interdigital pilonidal sinus, creeping eruption due to parasitic infections, and pseudofolliculitis barbae[3]. It is particularly important to distinguish Cutaneous Pili Migrans from Cutaneous Larval Migrans, as the two conditions share similarities[4]. Cutaneous Pili Migrans typically moves linearly in one direction, presenting as erythematous eruptions that are linear or wavy. In contrast, Cutaneous Larval Migrans can migrate in any direction, with lesions often appearing serpiginous or tortuous[5]. Additionally, lesions of Cutaneous Larval Migrans are characterized by intense itching and redness, lacking the distinct black line seen in Cutaneous Pili Migrans, which may be asymptomatic or painful[4].

Communities of insects around the world consist of unique sets of species that have evolved under different historical processes of assembly and lineage diversification. Whole-community phylogenetics can partition the shared and uniquely derived evolutionary history at sites. We used mitochondrial genome sequences of >1000 species each from two assemblages of Coleoptera (beetles) in distantly situated tropical lowland rainforest of Malaysia and Panama for phylogenetic reconstruction and community ecological analysis. Assemblages were entirely distinct at species level but were surprisingly similar at family level in their overall composition and relative species richness, despite a high degree of phylogenetic clustering that implied independent evolution. Inclusion of species poor lineages reduced the level of community clustering in parallel in both sites, indicating lineage-specific factors to determine species richness and their effect on local community composition. In conclusion, relative species richness in local community composition and global clade sizes are connected, in part due to biotic exchange in deep time, but more likely because of intrinsic rates of diversification unique to each clade (family), thus making assembly composition more predictable, i.e. the ‘evolutionary tape’ would be similar wherever a new assemblage of tropical-forest Coleoptera arises.

A document by Smriti Lama Thing. Click on the document to view its contents.

Title page:Enteric Duplication of the Small Intestine Imaged by Meckel’s ScanAiah Alatoum MBBS.1, Parren S. McNeely M.D.1, Michael M. Graham M.D1., Riad M. Rahhal M.D.2, Ahmad Shariftabrizi1 M.D.11Department of Radiology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA.2 Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA.Corresponding author: Ahmad Shariftabrizi M.D.Clinical Assistant ProfessorDivision of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Radiology-Room 3951 JPPUniversity of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA 52242Office: 319-887-4942; Fax: 319-339-7123; Cell: 857-526-4145.Email: [email protected]

Dapsone Hypersensitivity Syndrome with Hepatic Involvement: A Rare Case ReportBishal Koirala (Corresponding Author), Medical Officer, Shreegaun Primary Health Centre, Dang, NepalEmail: [email protected] number: +9779845567541Priyanka Devkota, Lab Research Analyst, Duke Human Vaccine Institute, North Carolina, USAEmail: [email protected] number: +16624970236

Tattoo inks contain several substances, including organic and inorganic pigments, additives, and solvents, which may pose a health risk to not only the tattooed skin but also to other parts of the human body due to intradermal exposure. Substances in tattoo inks are regulated by entry 75 in Annex XVII of REACH Regulation (EC) No. 1907/2006. However, despite these legal requirements, a well-defined criterion for the safety assessment of tattoo inks remains lacking. In this context, 2021 BfR opinion titled “Tattoo inks: minimum requirements and test methods” proposed a comprehensive risk assessment of pigments using in-vitro/in-chemico data in accordance with the OECD Guidelines and CLP Regulation. However, in the absence of experimental data, new approach methodologies (NAMs) can be used for data-gap filling. This work evaluates the applicability of in silico NAMs for data-gap filling to a list of tattoo ink ingredients identified by the JRC and BfR for genotoxicity assessment. The experimental in vitro genotoxicity data was acquired from the International Uniform ChemicaL Information Database (IUCLID) which makes the non-confidential REACH Study Results publicly accessible. The specific aims of this analysis were evaluation of in silico genotoxicity predictions from publicly available QSAR tools and structural alerts, development and validation of new QSAR models specific to tattoo ink ingredients, and application of in silico models for categorization and prioritization of data-poor ingredients for further screening. Based on the workflow developed in this study, 4 high priority, 11 medium priority and 2 low priority substances were identified for further assessment.

Introduction Studies have reported differences in the gut microbiome of neuropsychiatric disorder cases associated with increased intestinal permeability and inflammatory conditions. In support of inflammatory conditions, differences in cytokine concentration between cases and controls have also been reported in Parkinson’s disease (PD), schizophrenia (SCZ), and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study correlated the gut microbiome with the existing inflammatory cytokine concentration data within each cohort including PD, SCZ, and PTSD. Methods Utilising the 16S rRNA (V4) gut microbial data available for PD, SCZ, and PTSD, the associations between significantly different cytokine concentrations and the gut microbiome were assessed. Alpha-diversity was evaluated using Shannon and Simpson diversity measures, whereas beta-diversity was assessed with the permutational multivariate analysis variance (PERMANOVA) adonis test. The differential relative abundance of gut microbial taxa associated with altered cytokine concentrations was determined using the Multivariate Association with Linear Models 2 (MaAsLin2) test. The significance threshold was set at α = 0.05 for all tests (both p-value or q-value) and used the Benjamini-Hochberg method to correct for multiple testing. Results The differences in cytokine concentrations between cases and controls were found not to be associated with alpha- or beta-diversity. We observed an association between IL-6 and the enriched relative abundance of Lactobacillus (q = 0.023, PD) and RFN20 (q = 0.011, SCZ), and depleted relative abundance of Coprococcus (q = 0.023, PD). Conclusion Elevated levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, particularly IL-6, are observed across neuropsychiatric disorders and may be associated with a decrease in SCFA-producing taxa such as Faecalibacterium. Further research is needed to understand how dysregulated cytokine concentrations contribute to neuropsychiatric disorders and to explore molecular pathways involving cytokines and disease-specific proteins such as alpha-synuclein for potential therapeutic strategies.

In acoustic resolution PA microscopy (AR-PAM), high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) images require averaging pulse-illuminated A-scans, slowing data acquisition. Multi-wavelength PA imaging further reduces scan speed, leading to issues like photobleaching of exogenous contrast agents due to prolonged exposure. Traditional noise removal algorithms fall short, while deep learning models like U-Net, though effective, also compromise image contrast. We propose a platform-flexible denoising conditional GAN (modified Pix2Pix) to generate high SNR images with single pulse illumination, reducing AR-PAM scan time by 30-fold. Tested across various systems, our model minimizes photobleaching, enhances efficiency, and remains adaptable to diverse hardware setups without retraining, broadening its preclinical and clinical applications.

A document by Omama Islam. Click on the document to view its contents.

A document by Ha Vu. Click on the document to view its contents.

In filamentous fungal fermentation, selecting suitable impellers and controlling fungal morphology are crucial for product yield. We previously demonstrated that the AGΔ-GAGΔ strain of Aspergillus oryzae, lacking both α-1,3-glucan (AG) and galactosaminogalactan (GAG), had improved hyphal dispersion, reduced culture viscosity, and increased recombinant protein production. Here, we applied computational fluid dynamics (CFD) using viscosity data to explore the importance of impeller design and strain engineering. High-performance impellers (HS100/HR100) were compared with the conventional flat-blade turbine and paddle (6FT/4FP). CFD analysis showed large gas cavities behind the blades and severe compartmentalization for both the wild-type and AGΔ-GAGΔ strains. HS100/HR100 had more homogeneous velocity and shear stress values than did 6FT/4FP. The AGΔ-GAGΔ strain had a wider shear stress distribution and reduced gas cavity in comparison with the wild-type strain. The simulation results agreed with measured volumetric oxygen mass transfer coefficients ( KLa) and mixing times. Transcriptional analysis during HS100/HR100 cultivation revealed upregulation of the TCA cycle genes in AGΔ-GAGΔ in comparison with the wild type. Our findings suggest that the combination of an optimized stirring system and the AGΔ-GAGΔ strain can significantly enhance mixing. Furthermore, the improved mixing properties of AGΔ-GAGΔ may contribute to higher recombinant protein yields through an increased population of metabolically active cells.

An immobilized, cell-free system to produce isobutanol, a next-generation biofuel, was engineered to improve its production using biochemical approaches. A previously described approach involving random immobilization on suspended beads was superseded by a targeted, ordered cellulosome-based immobilization system that facilitated substrate channeling and minimized diffusion limitations. For this purpose, keto-acid decarboxylase, alcohol dehydrogenase, and formate dehydrogenase were genetically fused to a specific dockerin module, originating from different microbial species, each of which bound selectively to a complementary cohesin-bearing scaffoldin protein. Engineering of the fusions, as well as tuning the expression, was key to obtaining a working efficient multi-enzyme system. This system produced isobutanol at a titer of 5.92 g/L and 78.4% yield, which represented a marked improvement over previous results that used a cell-free method to produce this biofuel. This approach is promising, both as a starting point for further expansion of biofuel production and as a general enzyme-immobilized platform for producing biochemicals in vitro.

The issue of mean-square delayed consensus of nonlinear multi-agent systems (NMASs) suffered from denial-of-service (DoS) attacks under Markov switching topologies and dynamic event-triggered control (DETC) is studied. Firstly, the networks among agents are inevitably attacked because the communication networks are open access. DoS attacks that are destructive, stealthy and easy to realize are considered. Secondly, DoS attacks can result in random changes of the communication topologies, which are assumed to be uncertain nonhomogeneous Markov switching (UNMS) topologies with partially unknown transition rates (TRs). Then, in order to reduce unnecessary signal transmission, the adaptive control law and DETC are adopted. The sufficient conditions of mean-square delayed consensus of NMASs in term of random analysis method and distributed control theory are explored. Finally, the exactness of the results and the effectiveness of the methods are validated by the example given.

The North American boreal forest is a massive ecosystem, and its keystone herbivore is the snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus). Hares are exposed to considerable environmental extremes in diet and weather, food availability, and predation risk. Gut microbiomes have been suggested to facilitate adaptive animal responses to environmental change, but severe environmental challenges to homeostasis can also disrupt host-microbiome relationships. To better understand gut microbiome contributions to animal acclimation, we studied the fecal bacterial microbiome of wild hares across two types of extreme environmental change that are integral to their natural history: (1) seasonal transitions between summer and winter, and (2) changes over the ~10 year “boom-bust” population cycles that are characterized by shifting food resource availability and predation pressure. When compared to summer, hares in winter had lower bacterial richness and were depleted in twenty families (including Oxalobacteraceae and Christensenellaceae) but enriched for Ruminococcaceae (a family which contains plant fibre degrading microbiota) alongside nine other bacterial groups. Marked bacterial microbiome differences also occurred across phases of the population cycle. Bacterial microbiomes were lower in richness and compositionally distinct in the peak compared to the increase or decline phases of the population cycle. Direct measures of host physiology and diet quality (fecal fibre contents) most strongly supported food resource availability as a mechanism underlying phase-based differences in bacterial communities, but fecal fibre contents could not fully account for bacterial microbiome variation across phases.

A document by wei yu. Click on the document to view its contents.

Premise: Plants, particularly those with limited distribution ranges and small population sizes, are expected to be severely impacted by changing climatic conditions. Sesamum species are ideal for Species Distribution Modeling (SDM) in the context of climate change due to their narrow distribution ranges, agricultural and economic significance, sensitivity and adaptability to environmental conditions, wide geographic range, and potential to inform policy and adaptation strategies Methods: We used Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) Model to quantify global ecological niche breadth of species in the genus Sesamum and to assess how bioclimatic and soil heterogeneity indices impact the future (to the year 2080) suitable distribution ranges of the genus Sesamum. We also quantified which environmental variables contribute most to driving the patterns and suitable geographical ranges for Sesamum. Results: Maxent models accurately predicted suitable habitats for Sesamum species. Precipitation patterns, especially seasonal extremes, were key determinants of species distribution. Temperature also influenced habitat suitability, with specific requirements varying among species. These findings highlight the complex interplay between climate and edaphic factors in shaping species distributions. Species with broader niches have larger geographic ranges. However, future climate change is predicted to reduce niche breadths for most species (74%), with some facing substantial range contractions. In contrast, a few species (11%) are projected to expand their ranges, while other species (15%) will experience negligible impacts. Phylogenetic analysis did not reveal significant patterns in extinction risk and niche breadth evolution. Conclusion: This study highlights the vulnerability of Sesamum species to climate change, with projected reductions in range sizes necessitating urgent conservation efforts. Prioritizing species such as S. forbesii and S. sesamoides, alongside targeted actions such as habitat restoration and long-term monitoring, is crucial to prevent population decline and potential extinction.

Aims To determine in patients with clinical and radiological N0 necks in primary parotid carcinoma: 1.) Rate of occult node positivity post-neck dissection 2.) Outcomes following elective neck dissection +/- radiotherapy. 3.) Factors predicting recurrence and mortality following treatment. Methods A retrospective study on patients diagnosed with malignant neoplasm of the parotid between 01/2007 – 12/2018 from 3 UK tertiary centres. Results 134 patients were identified. 6% (4/62) of patients who underwent neck dissection for radiologically N0 neck had positive lymph nodes. There was no statistically significant feature associated with recurrence and disease-related mortality, but recurrence was associated with an increased risk of mortality (HR 1.444). Conclusion This study has demonstrated a low rate of occult nodal disease in N0 parotid malignancy and suggests that high-grade disease has a higher risk of nodal disease and recurrence. These patients may benefit from elective neck treatment, but more prospective data is required.